Many folks won't make gumbo because they are afraid of the roux (ru). It's really not hard and once you get the hang of it, you won't think twice about it again. So here's a few pictures that may help:
Start with oil, or bacon grease and flour. I don't measure, sorry but you'll get the hang of it. This was enough oil to be about 1/2" deep in a normal size iron skillet-which I can't live without-and about 1 cup flour:
use a whisk so there will be no lumps. Not quite thick enough so I added more flour, about 1 cup:
and some moreabout 1 cup again:
staring to get brown now-keep stirring:
at this point, you could make gravy by adding water, chicken or beef broth or tomato juice and died tomatoes for tomato gravy:
but for roux, we want it darker
you want it as dark as you can get it without burning it. Do not walk away from it now, no matter what or it will burn! and don't splash any on yourself-it's really hot at this point
ok finally got it! see how thick it got and how dark? This is perfect. Let it cool some and then start stirring big spoonfuls into your gumbo. Gumbo should be dark and THICK!
Chicken and sausage Gumbo
If you have a really big pot of gumbo, you may have to make another batch of roux. Let the first batch simmer in for awhile and see how thick it gets. If it ever starts to burn while you're making it, pitch it and start over.
Carol, this was a great post and your photos of the process really make the creation of aroux very clear. This is my first visit to your site and I've taken some extra time to browse through your earlier entries. I'm so glad I did that. I really like the food and recipes you share with your readers and I'll definitely be back. I hope you have a great day. Blessings...Mary.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this lesson!! So handy to know how to make homemade gravy. Visiting from over at Stonegable!
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